Explore more than 3,000 names of officers of the Royal Artillery who died during World War One. The images will show you the officer’s name, rank and death date.

Each record includes an image of the original record and a transcript. The amount of detail in each transcript or image can vary, but most will include:

Transcript

Name

Death date

Image

Name

Rank – abbreviated

Lt. - Lieutenant

2/Lt. - 2nd Lieutenant

A/Capt. - Acting Captain

Capt. – Captain

Brig. Genl. – Brigadier General

A/Maj. - Acting Major

Major - Major

Awards or medals – abbreviated

D.S.O. – Distinguished Service Order

M.C. – Military Cross

C.M.G. – Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George

Event – abbreviated

k in a – Killed in Action

k – Killed

d of w – Died of wounds

Death date

Discover more about these records

The Royal Artillery Commemoration Book is an alphabetical list of 3,505 Officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery who died during the First World War. The book was published in 1920 and funded by the Royal Artillery War Commemoration Fund.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery, more commonly known as the Royal Artillery, is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, the Royal Artillery is made up of a number of regiments. The first regular companies of artillery men were raised in 1716, by royal warrant of George 1 and the name Royal Artillery came along four years later.

By the time of the First World the Royal Artillery was split into three groups. The first group was a combination of the Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Field Artillery. The second group was the Royal Garrison Artillery. And the final group was simply the Royal Artillery, responsible for supplies and the storage of ammunition. The Royal Artillery massively expanded during the First World War.

Edward Thomas - War Poet

The records include the name of the war poet Edward Thomas. Thomas worked as a book reviewer, literary critic, biographer and novelist. He did not start writing poetry until 1914. At first, he published under the pen name, Edward Eastaway. He is most remembered for his poem Old Man. After the start of the First World War, Thomas was influenced by his friend, Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken and enlisted in the army. In 1916 he was promoted to corporal and then commissioned with the Royal Garrison Artillery as 2nd Lieutenant. He was killed in France at Arras. He had survived the battle, but was killed by a concussive blast from one of the last shells fired, while lighting his pipe. 2nd Lieutenant Edward Thomas was killed in action on 9 April 1917. He is buried in the Military Cemetery at Agny France. Edward Thomas is commemorated in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.